WASHINGTON — Slow down. No, you’re not reading this article too quickly ─ a Virginia-based highway safety nonprofit is calling for stricter speed limit laws in the commonwealth and around the country claiming lower speed limits equal fewer pedestrian deaths.
Based in Arlington, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is calling for jurisdictions to oppose what the nonprofit calls “the default speed limit” ─ usually, 25 or 30 mph. IIHS studies from 2024, show that lowering a 30 mph speed limit to 20 mph lowers the risk of a pedestrian dying from getting hit by a car to 18% from 50%.
IIHS has recommended a different approach to setting speed limits, including setting “context-appropriate speeds.” An example from the National Association of City Transportation officials recommends a 25 mph speed limit on major roads and 20 mph on minor roads that run inside a city’s borders…